Firefighters show Motor Vehicle students their life-saving engineering skills

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23/01/2013

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Motor Vehicle students spend their time learning how to make vehicles roadworthy and safe, but they gained a fascinating insight into the mechanics of saving lives after car wrecks when a team from London Fire Brigade visited Paddington Green Campus to show the techniques used when vehicles are involved in accidents.

Rescuing people from vehicles – a process known as ‘extrication’ – is a key part of the Fire Brigade’s life-saving role and requires in-depth knowledge of car engineering. Motor Vehicle Technician Team Leader Paul Germaine, who organised the event, says: “The session showed how firefighters manage complex tasks, such as uncrumpling cars and disassembling vehicle components, in their work to rescue people.”

Students from other courses were invited to attend the session and Paul says it offered important lessons for everyone watching: “A lot of firefighters have an engineering-based skillset, so this was demonstrating another potential career route. And for all of us, it was a graphic reminder of the importance of safe driving.”

Paul adds: “The Motor Vehicle team have a great relationship with Paddington Fire Station and we’re extremely grateful that they gave up their time to hold such an excellent demonstration for our students.”

City of Westminster College is a long-established centre of excellence in Motor Vehicle training, with state-of-the-art workshops at Paddington Green Campus. Our courses range from DIY Vehicle Maintenance up to the C&G Diploma in Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair, with new Higher Education Vehicle Operations Management courses beginning in September 2013.